How do Silencers Impact Blowback?

When you first start learning about silencers, one of the terms you'll start seeing tossed around is 'blowback'. In this article we're going to explain:

What blowback is
How different weapons are impacted
How to prevent it from causing problems

Keep in mind that many modern suppressors are specifically designed to reduce blowback; so, if you're worried about it give us a call and we'll help you select a model that will fit your needs.

What is Blowback?

In order to illustrate the concept, let's look at an extremely common semi-automatic weapon: the AR15. When you pull the trigger on your AR15, you'll set in motion a series of events - which can be simplified into these steps:

The powder is ignited - which creates the pressure required to send the bullet down the barrel (with gas expanding behind it)
Once the bullet passes the gas block (which is typically under the front sight post or rail), some of the gas is redirected back through the gas tube and into the chamber
The gas pressure entering the chamber allows the bolt to unlock and cycle - which loads the next round into the chamber

The gas that goes back into the chamber is called 'blowback'; and, hopefully it's clear that blowback is required to make your AR15 operate correctly.

If you want the ultimate solution, then I'd recommend the Gemtech Suppressed Bolt Carrier also availabe for an AR10. These bolt carriers work wonders and are adjustable so your weapon will run optimally in either suppressed or unsuppressed mode. (But... Why would you run unsuppressed?) For Piston-Based Weapons, most modern designs include some type of suppressed adjustment. This adjustment is there specifically to tune the weapon when running a suppressor - and it's easy to use in most cases. For Recoil-Driven Weapons, you generally won't have any serious problems; but, if you do try using a slightly heavier recoil recoil spring.